They watched Alex Ovechkin take home more hardware last week. Now the Caps’ goal is to land more prospects, starting Friday night at the NHL draft in Montreal.
And just because the Caps have a low pick — 24th — doesn’t mean they won’t find another one.
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History suggests they will. Thanks to stellar scouting that hasn’t hurt them in recent years. Since 2001, Washington drafted nine of the 23 players on last spring’s postseason roster. And there are as many as five more at AHL Hershey who soon will push for a roster spot.
Everyone knows about Ovechkin (1st overall, 2004). That one’s easy. But that same year Caps GM George McPhee pulled two defensemen from the late stages of the first round — Jeff Schultz (27th) and then, improbably, Mike Green (29th). Not a bad spot to find a Norris Trophy candidate. That year’s second-round pick, Chris Bourque, was one of the last cuts in training camp last fall and appears ready to make the jump to the NHL.
That’s just one draft, you say? Fine. In 2006, McPhee and his staff grabbed Nicklas Backstrom — a no-brainer at No. 4. But they weren’t close to finished, They plucked not one, but two young goalies from that draft — postseason hero Simeon Varlamov at No. 23 and, in the second round, Michal Neuvirth, who led Hershey to the AHL championship in 2009.
McPhee didn’t need a top-five pick in 2002 to grab Alexander Semin, who was waiting at No. 13. Boyd Gordon was chosen four spots later and has become a valuable fourth-line center and penalty killer.
And in 2008 when defenseman John Carlson was still on the board at 27, the Caps quickly traded Steve Eminger to Philadelphia for that pick. After his season in juniors ended, Carlson made it to Hershey in time to contribute to the Bears’ championship run. The 19-year-old could be in Washington as soon as this year — the latest in a string of successful draft picks.
Is there another one waiting?
